Does Massachusetts require an SR-22?
Checked against official Massachusetts sources · Last reviewed October 6, 2026
Massachusetts doesn't require an SR-22 to reinstate a license. The Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) handles suspensions and reinstatement, and its reinstatement requirements are a fee plus, in some cases, exams or required classes. In Massachusetts law, the insurer's certificate of insurance is used to register a vehicle, not as a filing after a violation.
If another state suspended your right to drive, the RMV also suspends your Massachusetts license until that state restores it. You have to get reinstated in the other state first, so any SR-22 that state requires is between you and that state. [1][2][5]
Does Massachusetts require an SR-22?
No. Massachusetts does not require an SR-22 to reinstate a license. The RMV's reinstatement requirements are the reinstatement fee and, depending on the suspension, permit exams, road tests, or required classes or programs. No insurance filing is listed. [1]
What does reinstatement cost?
$100 base reinstatement fee. OUI and certain other serious suspensions, including driving uninsured, cost $500. Some OUI revocations cost $700 or $1,200. [3]
What coverage do you need?
$25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, $30,000 property damage. These limits apply to policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025. [4]
Who handles it
The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) [1]
Common questions
Do I need an SR-22 to get my Massachusetts license back?
No. The RMV's reinstatement requirements are the reinstatement fee and, depending on your case, a learner's permit exam, a road test, or required classes or programs such as driver retraining or an alcohol education program. They don't include an SR-22 or any other insurance filing. [1]
Another state suspended me. How do I get my Massachusetts license back?
First get reinstated in the state that suspended you. Then bring a Clearance Letter or a driving record from that state, no more than 30 days old, to an RMV Service Center. [5]
What if my out-of-state suspension was for OUI?
For an out-of-state OUI, including a breath test refusal or failure, you must see an RMV Hearings Officer. Bring a certified driving history, the court records, and a reinstatement letter from the other state. If you had a Massachusetts license at the time, the RMV treats the offense as if it happened in Massachusetts. [5]
How much does it cost to reinstate my license?
Reinstatement fees range from $100 to $1,200. OUI and certain other serious suspensions, including driving an uninsured vehicle, cost $500, and some repeat-offense OUI revocations cost $700 or $1,200. Any other suspension costs $100. [1][3]
What happens if I drive without insurance?
A first offense carries a fine of up to $500. After that, the penalty is a fine of $500 to $5,000, up to a year in a house of correction, or both. A conviction or guilty plea also suspends your license for 60 days, or for 1 year if it is your second within 6 years, and you owe the state auto insurance plan at least $500. The reinstatement fee for this suspension is $500. [3][6]
My license was suspended over an unpaid property damage judgment. What do I need?
Pay the claim and give an RMV hearings officer a signed release of judgment from the person who sued you. You can't get a hardship license for this kind of suspension. Massachusetts law doesn't require proof of insurance to lift it. [7][8]
Did Massachusetts insurance minimums change?
Yes. Policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025 must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $30,000 for property damage. Before that the minimums were $20,000, $40,000, and $5,000, so a policy that hasn't renewed since then may still carry those lower limits. [4][9][10]
Sources
- Mass.gov (RMV) - Reinstate your driver's license (official agency page, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §34B - Certificates of insurance or surety companies (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §33 - Fees (para. 36, reinstatement) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §34A - Definitions (motor vehicle liability policy, certificate) (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- Mass.gov (RMV) - Out of state suspensions and revocations (official agency page, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §34J - Operating a motor vehicle without a liability policy (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- Mass.gov (RMV) - Property damage claim suspension (official agency page, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §22A - Suspension for unsatisfied judgment; reinstatement (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §34O - Property damage liability (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Acts of 2024, Chapter 275 (raised c. 90 §34A and §34O minimums) (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)